Lisa is a junior majoring in markets and culture in Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, with a minor in education in the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development. During spring 2014, she is studying at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad with SMU-in-Copenhagen. The following posts are excerpts from Lisa’s blog at raizesl.tumblr.com

Arrival/Day One

After three flights, expensive airport food, and a sore bottom, I arrived in Copenhagen yesterday! I’ve been in Denmark over 24 hours now and I’m feeling right at home here. I appreciate my host family and American siblings,they have made the transition so easy! My host parents know what it is like to be around young adults – after all they raised three sons and have had three DIS students in the past, although this is their first time having three students at once. My American host siblings and I make a great team proven when we spent today exploring Copenhagen together.

Copenhagen is very beautiful and clean. It is definitely very cold here – mostly because of the strong winds. No matter how much I bundle up I think I will always end up sporting a red nose. Strøget, the pedestrian-only shopping center, reminds me of Diagon Alley from Harry Potter. The Danes seem to be less of a homogeneous population than I thought they would be. One sees many different kinds of people walking down Strøget, not just the tall, thin, and blonde.

Day One:

-Used public transportation (Our host father kindly brought us to Copenhagen today. With a native, and three other heads, public transportation was a breeze. I will be more nervous when I have to go solo).

-Started the DIS Arrival Workshop with a celebration ceremony and a housing meeting